School principal forcibly removed amid paper leak scandal in northern India
by Aditi VermaIn a shocking incident, the principal of a school in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh, was forcibly removed from her office amid a probe into a multi-crore scam linked to a UPPSC paper leak.
The incident took place at Bishop Johnson Girls School in Prayagraj and the video went viral on July 5.
Visuals showed in the principal’s office, a large group of school staff were present, forcibly trying to remove the seated principal from her chair. She resisted, repeatedly saying, “Don’t touch me,” but the staff continued to lift her from her seat. Amidst the commotion, they managed to remove her and seated a new principal in her place. The staff welcomed the new principal with applause and clapping, creating a stark contrast to the chaos moments before.
On the morning of the incident, authorities from the school were seen dragging Principal Parul Solomon out of her office as she refused to leave, pleading, “Don’t touch, don’t touch,” when they tried to snatch her phone. After a chaotic episode of mistreatment, Solomon was removed from the office, and the new principal, Sherlyn Massey, was seated amid applause and clapping from the staff.
The removal of Principal Solomon follows accusations from Bishop Maurice Edgar Dan, representing the Diocese of Lucknow, who alleged that she had stolen ₹2.40 crore from the school during her tenure. Additionally, the school was implicated in a multi-crore scam linked to the UPPSC Review Officer-Assistant Review Officer (RO-ARO) paper leak, which occurred on February 11, 2024.
The paper was reportedly leaked before the start of the exam when it reached the school from the treasury at around 6:30 am. Kamlesh Kumar Pal alias KK, a member of the ‘paper leak’ gang, allegedly took pictures of the exam paper and leaked them before the exam began. Alongside Solomon, another staff member, Vineet Jaswant, was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) in connection with the leak.
Bishop Dan clarified that Solomon’s removal was due to her alleged involvement in the case. Following the incident, Solomon filed a complaint leading to a case being registered against several individuals, including NL Dan, Bishop Maurice Edgar Dan, and others seen in the viral video.